Speakerplans.com Homepage
Forum Home Forum Home > General > General Forum
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Flooded lockup. Wet drivers... :(
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Flooded lockup. Wet drivers... :(
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
Author
Message
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
Larry23 View Drop Down
Registered User
Registered User


Joined: 07 August 2023
Location: Bristol
Status: Offline
Points: 95 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Larry23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Flooded lockup. Wet drivers... :(
    Posted: 07 September 2025 at 5:16pm
Nightmare.. 

Arrived at my new lockup today and there's pools of water on the floor, and drips still coming through the ceiling, after heavy rain this morning. Turns out the neighbours upstairs left a bunch of large roof windows open, and it's all come through to ours.. 

Upshot is a bunch of my stuff got soaked, including a pile of Fane XB'S.

Some of the cones are pretty soaked, the adhesive/suspension gone white where the water has been. Seems like some water may have gone into the motor system, through the pole piece vent on some. 

Will this have damaged the drivers long term?

Thanks in advance for any help. 
Back to Top
Andylaser View Drop Down
Registered User
Registered User


Joined: 16 April 2010
Location: Southampton
Status: Offline
Points: 392 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Andylaser Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 September 2025 at 5:49pm
I would be knocking on the neighbours door asking them to get their cheque book out.
"music so loud, that if we move in next door to you; your lawn will die" - Lemmy
Back to Top
FOO View Drop Down
Young Croc
Young Croc
Avatar

Joined: 23 December 2018
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 953 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote FOO Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 September 2025 at 6:39pm
100% an insurance claim there. Maybe they will remember the windows next time..

On the bright side... Fane XB drivers are pretty cheap compared to modern beast drivers. 
Back to Top
Larry23 View Drop Down
Registered User
Registered User


Joined: 07 August 2023
Location: Bristol
Status: Offline
Points: 95 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Larry23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 September 2025 at 12:10am
Originally posted by FOO FOO wrote:

100% an insurance claim there. Maybe they will remember the windows next time..

On the bright side... Fane XB drivers are pretty cheap compared to modern beast drivers. 

Hoping it won't come to an insurance claim, as I'd planned to build new boxes for the drivers in the next couple of weeks, and insurers aren't known for moving so fast..!

Tomorrow morning, fingers crossed, the guys who run the place won't be too shocked when we turn up asking for some compensation. 
Back to Top
Tinnitus Rex View Drop Down
Registered User
Registered User


Joined: 31 October 2020
Status: Offline
Points: 311 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tinnitus Rex Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 September 2025 at 12:29am
I would just dry them in a warm place  , all the Fane cones ive encountered are fine even after being entirely soaked in rain and then dried out ...the problem is if they are being driven at the time ..the motor internals could become rusty but you really have nothing to lose !
"couldn't we just like... use headphones?"
Back to Top
Larry23 View Drop Down
Registered User
Registered User


Joined: 07 August 2023
Location: Bristol
Status: Offline
Points: 95 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Larry23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 September 2025 at 9:49am
Originally posted by Tinnitus Rex Tinnitus Rex wrote:

I would just dry them in a warm place  , all the Fane cones ive encountered are fine even after being entirely soaked in rain and then dried out ...the problem is if they are being driven at the time ..the motor internals could become rusty but you really have nothing to lose !

That's very reassuring, thanks. Was worried about fibres in the cones becoming unbounded, or the adhesive degrading/becoming hard. We've got big fans on today, drying the space out, and it's much warmer, so hopefully the cones will dry out properly too. The adhesive is already returning to its normal colour, which is a good start. 
Back to Top
Jan-2T View Drop Down
Registered User
Registered User
Avatar

Joined: 18 October 2024
Location: Belgium
Status: Offline
Points: 137 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jan-2T Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 September 2025 at 10:33am
Still better take plenty pictures, and communicate with the responsibles.

Just in case of damage later, caused by this rain infusion
Music!
Back to Top
kedwardsleisure View Drop Down
Old Croc
Old Croc


Joined: 20 January 2009
Location: Staffordshire
Status: Offline
Points: 5157 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kedwardsleisure Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 September 2025 at 11:39am
I would write them off and get a claim in with your neighbour.

You never know with water damage, dry them out and they may prematurely fail at some indeterminate point in the near future.
Kevin

North Staffordshire
Back to Top
Earplug View Drop Down
Old Croc
Old Croc


Joined: 03 January 2012
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 7752 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Earplug Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 September 2025 at 11:46am
Yeah. Take loads of photos - & video. Insurance companies are bastards when it comes to paying out on claims. 

If the cones are thick enough, they can survive & work. I had a couple of 18" drivers get soaked a while ago as well. Cut off the dust covers & take a good look at the magnet & gap. Maybe dose with WD40 to clean out any any water. Let them dry out & test. See what happens.



Earplugs Are For Wimps!
Back to Top
jacethebase View Drop Down
Old Croc
Old Croc
Avatar

Joined: 23 September 2009
Location: Somerset
Status: Offline
Points: 5837 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jacethebase Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 September 2025 at 12:10pm
Get the email addresses of everyone involved start a email thread stating what has happened and when and the costs involved of the drivers etc damaged. 
This will act as evidence should you need to make an insurance claim and you can also keep a track of what has been said and hope that they admit liability.

Popping round to have a chat is lovely but people can quite easily turn around and not admit liability after their insurance company has told them not to.

Take loads of photos, like loads of everything. Insurance companies need proof for their underwriters to pay out.

Yes, Will be nice if they just dry out but cover yourself for all eventualities. 
www.wedding-production.co.uk

www.stage2sound.com
Back to Top
jbl_man View Drop Down
Moderator Group
Moderator Group
Avatar

Joined: 12 January 2005
Location: London.
Status: Offline
Points: 11308 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jbl_man Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 September 2025 at 6:06pm
Even if they dry out, will now be lots of internal rust and corrosion in the voice coil gaps. Many years ago i bought a pair of 2445 HF drivers that had got wet, were totally useless, gaps and phase plugs full of rusty crud. About the only usable parts i could salvage were the rubber-tyre surrounds, and the terminal posts, rest went in a skip. 
Really sorry to hear about your loss, hopefully neighbour will play-ball and put it through his insurance as said above. 
Be seeing you.
Back to Top
Larry23 View Drop Down
Registered User
Registered User


Joined: 07 August 2023
Location: Bristol
Status: Offline
Points: 95 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Larry23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 September 2025 at 12:43pm
Appreciate all the advice guys.

Fortunately the neighbours upstairs have admitted full liability. Our Nextdoor neighbour got a long vid of everything while it was going on, and we took pics of everything that was damaged. The landlord is a pretty good friend of ours and chatted to them after seeing the vid, which I guess must've helped things along!
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.08
Copyright ©2001-2026 Web Wiz Ltd.